Alright, let me preface this whole thing with the fact that I really do love my fit. All 87k miles of love w/it.

[RANT /ON]

I had the leaking door seal problem that's been discussed here several times. I did the duct it method and it worked well but I finally realized that the passenger back side wasn't really sticking anymore and I just wanted to put the sheeting back in place, butyl it up, and leave it at that once I got my new speaker sets in but then

Trunk leak, more specifically 2 inches of water chilling with my spare, my jack, my lugnuts, my portable POS air compressor and stank all nice and cozy. Didn't even find it and don't know how long it's been leaking but the last tire rotation the bad boy was bone dry and that was only like 1 month and a half ago so ugh.

That being said I thought, and posted on JavaRob's thread, I was going to try to use sealant and wipe it down and call it a WIN but I was completely wrong.

I took off the lower back panels on both sides and the passenger side tails. In hindsight I should have gotten a new seal for the passenger tails so it wouldn't start leaking but whatever (it's a drop compared to the monsoon the others are causing.

I traced it and thought I had a firm grasp on it. I was wrong because now not only is it still coming in, it's coming from another area it appears.

Soooooo I have to pull my entire interior from the front seats back including the headliner to find this leak and I'm slightly worried about the SRS system.

I could go to the dealer except I don't feel like paying out the ass for something I shouldn't be dealing with in the first place and I'm kind of pissed with how much I brag/love my car that I have to deal with this.

I honestly can't figure out when I'll be sleeping for the next two weeks since I commute 1 1/2 hours each way every day and am working close to 9+ hour shifts. It'll get worse next week if I wind up firing some people who aren't pulling their weight but seriously.

And since I'm going to pull this apart I'm going to take the time and fix the crap right and seal/soundproof stuff while I'm in there.

[RANT /OFF]

That being said, anyone pulled the whole interior and have any tips for me? I have no help beyond my wife who will hold the water hose for leaks (seriously, she's not happy it's leaking either) and while my tools are limited they will get the job done (nothing troublesome yet).

How worried do I need to be about the SRS system? Is the headliner that much of a pain to pull solo? What would you recommend for deadening/waterproofing/rust inhibiting the interior that is a spray and/or paste?

If I can't find the leak would it be permissible to go to my local Honda Cars of Bradenton and ask "Seriously, WTF?"

My wife thought maybe it was a little thing I missed but nope.

Hopefully I'll remember to take pics starting from where i'm at (don't ask about my freakout last night, no pics) tomorrow and go from there.

And how was your day?

 

krakhead, I had this problem once before with one my rydes. After all of my attempts to locate the source of the leak in the trunk. I took my power washer and added grape juice 20% and 80% water into the soap dispenser container connected to the sprayer and I was able to locate the problem around the seal in about 20 minutes.
I had my son spray the area while I sat inside and watched the colored water start to seep through.
Just make sure you change the dispenser back to soap and thoroughly spray it down...
I know this sounds crazy...but it worked for me..

 

vinny, you sure it won't leave stains on the paintwork?

also, a frind of mine had the same problem as you (different car though) and since he can't find the source, he chose the easy way out... he drilled a hole in the trunk, so that the water have a way out.... not the smartest solution, but hey it works...

 

No it did not leave any stains and my ryde is white, you'll just have to wash it down right afterwards. It's nowhere near as bad as bird s$@# that seems to be on my car all the time..
Drilling the hole...idk, does not seem to solve the problem of where the water is coming from but only where it goes after leaving the hole which will eventually lead to corrosion.

 

Wow, wasn't really aware of the is Fit issue until you guys started posting. Then again, haven't been through a lot of rain lately. Just rotated tires and the spare compartment was all dry. Maybe I'll look harder for some traces.

Sorry Krakhed, can't help you there. But I did experience water leak issues with my minivan years back.... waaayyy back when it was still under warranty ('99 model). The leak was coming from somewhere between the driver side firewall/wheel well/under the dash area. Dealer did a smoke test to find it. Dealer ended up spraying the areas mentioned (seams) with expanding foam.

Same principle as Vinny's grape juice test I guess but from the inside.

 

Well so far, I am making an educated guess that the seam/sealant around the weatherstripping is just old and worn out because the leaks I have found on both sides (minus the tail lights) is coming in right where there is a body seam.

So in the AM i am going to the auto store, buying some weatherstripping adhesive and denatured alcohol and giving it a go.

And by AM I mean after I go to the beach (it's my day off, i'm allowed) so hopefully tomorrow or Saturday I'll have something positive to report.
If this fixes it, I won't have to rage again.

 

never could isolate where the water was coming in and just gave up after basically gutting my car and driving it like i wanted to be a race car driver (L O U D).

to solve it i finally used some hardening epoxy/sealer from Ace (tear and roll) and basically hit up all the seams on the driver side not counting the tail light that are underneath that back black paneling.

24 hours after it set, everything is nice and dry. long story short, apparently it could have been anything from my antenna (wasn't) all the way to the tail lights (wasn't). so once those were eliminated and i completely resealed the hatch lining (ty automotive sealant) i went overboard.

the seams were where it was coming in from but i never found what caused it to look to them.

even with it raining lately there isn't anything sloshing around back there so it's draining somewhere and not sitting in a sheetmetal bucket that will cause me anger 3-4 years from now.

photos were crap and i already put it back together so yea that's not happening. i'm just hoping it's done b/c if it starts leaking again I'm going to probably have a meltdown.